Pirates!
by neo123
Summary: Ryou encounters a charming pirate...the King of pirates, that is.


Jaazi: Hehehe, er, yes…I should work on my other stories, shouldn't I? Or my Algebra II homework…hehe, w-well this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave so I typed it up…

DJ: …Instead of the chapters to her other stories like she **should** be doing. Tch, loser.

KK: _(pouts)_ That's not nice. But this oneshot is very nice…it's cute!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, this fan fiction would be anime episodes, so duh!

* * *

**Pirates!**

Emerald eyes opened as a boy awoke to the sound of the steady beats of water. His nose twitched as he breathed in salty air he was used to, living by a coast. Sitting up, he gasped when he realized where he was…on a ship rocking in the middle of a vast body of water.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" a voice lilted teasingly. The boy suddenly noticed that the ship's crew had stopped what they were doing and watching him closely. He gasped and scuttled back until he felt sturdy wood against his back, signaling the end of his escape attempt.

A man dressed in a dirtied white shirt, opened down to mid-abdomen, with a patched black vest, dark charcoal gray slacks and well-worn black soft leather boots, walked confidently up to him. Once he was close enough, the man put his fists on his hips and bent down his torso till his face was level with the boy's.

A scar ran from his eyebrow down his right cheek with two other smaller scars crossing the larger horizontally. A blood-red bandanna with a couple strings of shimmering silver and green beads dangling from it tied back his wild gray-white hair. Wine-red eyes that gleamed with amusement peered at him.

"How'd a pretty little lady like you get on this ship and what is her name?" the man asked dashingly, the light of the full-moon reflecting off of him quite nicely.

The boy forgot his fear for a moment to glance at his own attire. A long white sleeping garment…granted, it looked more like a gown on him than the sleeping garment it was supposed to be for most men. Emerald eyes met wine-red for a split second.

"I-I'm not a g-girl!" the boy protested, a tad less confidently than he wanted to. The man grinned mischievously.

"Of course not, miss. Now, who may you be?" he questioned again. The boy blushed under the other's curious gaze.

"R-Ryou. My name's Ryou," he said nervously.

The man flashed Ryou a charming smile, his white teeth gleaming against his darkly tanned skin. He righted himself with an extravagant flair before proclaiming proudly, "I, Bakura, King of the Pirates, having sailed all seven seas with my loyal crew of fellow lawbreakers, battled horrendous creatures and seen uncharted lands…am at your service, Lady Ryou," the pirate known as Bakura offered his hand to help Ryou up.

Timidly, Ryou took it. Bakura lifted him up easily and let him go, but not before placing a gentlemanly kiss on his fingertips. Ryou blushed and pulled back slightly. This action caused the Pirate King to chuckle deeply.

"I am not a girl," Ryou said quietly. Bakura just grinned in response.

"Yes, I believe you mentioned something about that before," Bakura replied jauntily, wrapping an arm around Ryou's slim waist. Ryou squeaked slightly as he was pulled close to the pirate.

"I've no idea how you got here, but now that you are, let's have a tour, shall we?" Bakura asked flashing Ryou yet another radiant smile, "I'll also introduce you to some of my crew."

Bakura grabbed a hold of a pirate who was just walking by.

"This one here is Yami. Yami meet Ryou," Bakura said. The man named Yami glared at the pirate captain.

"Captain, some of us actually have work to do…how did he get here? It isn't time ye-" Yami was cut off by a cuff on the side of his head from Bakura. Ryou blinked in confusion.

"Stop your yapping you scurvy dog," Bakura said cheerfully, patting Yami roughly. Yami scowled and walked away with what little dignity he had left. Ryou's eyebrows furrowed.

"What was he going to say?" Ryou asked. Bakura laughed nervously.

"Nothing of importance, I assure you. Moving on!" Bakura replied hurriedly, walking along the moonlit deck, his arm never loosening its hold on Ryou's waist.

Bakura led Ryou to a shadowed corner where someone sat on a bench. Bakura grabbed the person by the collar and pulled him out to the moonlight. Ryou watched curiously as the Pirate King introduced his latest captive.

"This is Malik. Malik, meet Ryou. Isn't he pretty?" Bakura said proudly, showing off Ryou. Malik grinned and patted Ryou's head.

"Yes, he's cute," Malik giggled. Bakura frowned and batted Malik's hand away.

"Look, don't touch!" he said moodily. Malik just winked at Bakura's response.

"Right, what **was** I thinking? Hey, how'd the kitten get here anyway? I'm pretty sure we'd have to wait a little longe-" Malik was cut off when Bakura shoved him away suddenly.

"Don't you have work to do, you lazy idiot?" Bakura said in a rush, pulling Ryou away towards the wheel where a very tall someone stood.

"Seto! Get over here and meet my little lady!" Bakura shouted, Ryou pouting at the 'lady' comment. Turning to Ryou, he said, "He's my first mate…don't be worried about his cold behavior, it's just how he is."

Ryou looked up to the tall man named Seto. The man stared at him impassively.

"Good evening, so you're the Captain's…yes, well, you've arrived sooner than expe-" Seto stopped at the captain's glare. Smirking slightly, he continued, "It was a pleasure to meet you, but I must return to my post."

Ryou looked at Bakura. That was the third person that started telling him something and stopped. Something was going on…they were hiding something from him. Bakura seemed to know something about Ryou and his sudden appearance. Ryou wanted to know what.

"Bakura, what's-" Ryou didn't get to finish on account of a pair of warm lips that were suddenly pressed against his. Ryou's green eyes widened before slipping shut. The kiss was chaste and lasted only for a few seconds. Bakura pulled away and looked at the dazed Ryou with gleaming eyes.

"Don't ask so many questions. Relax and enjoy our time together," Bakura whispered less jokingly than Ryou had thought possible. Ryou stayed quiet.

He'd known the supposed King of Pirates for little over two hours, over which time he'd seen the entire ship and met all of it's crew members. A Mariku who was in charge of the artillery and whose hands had wandered too much for Bakura's comfort, and a Joey who was in charge of the kitchens and had an easygoing behavior. Ryou had even met the cabin boy Yugi who had a childish trust and naivety.

Throughout it all, Bakura's playful nature never wavered since that one time after there kiss. Bakura had made affectionate and loving gestures to Ryou constantly during his time with him. As if he had just regained something precious that was going to leave too soon. As if filling himself with Ryou, preparing himself for a long time without him.

Throughout it all, Ryou had the nagging feeling that he had seen this before…played this role before…and met this man before. Just a nagging sense of familiarity that settled in the edges of his memory.

Bakura brought Ryou back above deck. In the quiet, they both watched the horizon. The sky's dark blue night was fading into the misty gray of predawn. Bakura's hold on Ryou tightened.

"Did you enjoy your time with us?…With me?" Bakura asked softly, his voice losing some of its playful nonchalance. Ryou shifted in his arms.

"Why does this all seem so familiar…?" Ryou asked just as soft. Bakura's eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

"You still don't remember…it wasn't your time yet…I should've known you wouldn't remember," Bakura said, sadness lacing his once buoyant voice.

Ryou heard the sadness and wanted to do everything in his power to eradicate it from Bakura. Ryou couldn't understand. He'd only met the man a few hours, he couldn't possible feel so strongly for him…no matter how familiar this all seemed.

"I had a grand time. I loved every minute of it. But why do you ask? It's not like I'm going anywhere. I don't even know how I got here so far from home in the first place…so you get to keep me for as long as you want!" Ryou giggled happily. Bakura grinned.

"I take it you liked being with me then?" Bakura asked, his hand running through Ryou's silken strands of moonlight-silver hair. Ryou blushed but nodded. Bakura pressed his lips on Ryou's forehead, burying his nose into his hair and inhaling his scent.

"That's great…I was worried, you were so quiet most of the time," Bakura murmured.

The first rays of light began peeking over the horizon. Bakura let out a resigned sigh. Ryou watched, slightly scared, as Bakura untangled himself from him and stepped away. Bakura smiled at him with what seemed like forced cheer. His wine-red eyes had a subdued and muted glimmer…a glimmer that seemed to get fainter and fainter by the second.

"B-Bakura? What are you d-doing?" Ryou stuttered fearfully. Bakura gave him a sad smile.

"Have I ever told you that you ask too many questions?" Bakura chuckled dryly. His voice cracked as he continued, "Don't be scared. We'll be together soon again, don't be scared."

Ryou's emerald eyes fogged over with unshed tears as his form began to dissipate, getting more and more translucent as the sun rose.

* * *

A six year old boy shot up from bed, face stained with tears as he took deep shuddering breaths. It was dark, his oil lamp has long since gone out, but moonlight streamed through the tall window illuminating his four poster bed. His long moonlight-silver hair mussed slightly as he rubbed his eyes clear of tears. Quickly, he checked the story book on his lap, to make sure his tears didn't smudge any of the ink on the parchment.

It was opened to a particular page that held a picture. The picture was in black ink against the pale yellow parchment. It portrayed a man standing proudly, hands on his hips, on the deck of his ship. A scar on his right cheek and a sassy grin gracing his lips. Behind him were several of his loyal shipmates. Beneath the picture, in flowing elegant lettering, it proclaimed boldly _The King of the Pirates_.

The little boy sighed, his small fingers tracing the pirate's charming face. He wished he could go out and have adventures and friends and sail around the world. The Pirate King looked so familiar…

The child sighed again, his inexperienced and youthful mind not fully understanding his own feelings and dreams. Leaving the book opened to the picture, setting it carefully next to him in bed. He turned over in bed and closed his eyes.

Being the young son of a wealthy lord could be so lonely. How he wanted to be in the man's arms again, to feel protected and warm, to have a friend who would never leave him. The little boy's innocence could only understand a spoon's worth of the intensity of his longing. He could only understand that he didn't want to feel the emptiness that loneliness brought, and that the man from his dreams took that away.

The child soon found himself in a dreamless slumber.

In the light of the moon, a shimmering transparent figure formed at the bedside with the boy. Moonlight shone through wine-red eyes as incorporeal fingers attempted to entangle themselves into the boy's silky soft hair. Sadly, the boy's beautiful hair remained motionless as the translucent fingers went by as if they weren't there at all.

"Ryou…" a tormented voice murmured. The ethereal man had a single, nearly invisible tear trail down his scarred cheek.

"Don't be afraid, little Ryou. We'll be together again…I don't know how you were able to come to me, it wasn't time yet for you to…" Bakura's voice cracked.

The little boy murmured incoherently in his sleep. Bakura smiled softly.

"The Gods' wanted to torment me, I suppose," he whispered hoarsely as he attempted to caress the child's pale tearstained cheek.

"Please don't hurt anymore. I'll be waiting for you. We'll be together again soon…just as soon as you come of age, we'll be reunited," the Pirate King whispered helplessly.

Leaning down, his lips only a centimeter away from the pale skin of the boy's forehead, a cruel mockery of a kiss. But then again, gods were always cruel, weren't they? Letting Bakura be so near to the one he loved and unable to touch him or have him know of his existence, his love, his devotion.

The ghostly Pirate King trailed to the open book. He paused and gazed at the sleeping child.

"When you come of age…you'll never be alone again, I promise. You'll come back to our world and never hurt again," he said hopefully, reassuring the sleeping boy and himself.

The ghostly man faded into the storybook, into his picture and legend.

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Jaazi: Ha. That was weird. It is a oneshot, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review before you all leave please! C'mon, you know you want to! Oh, and if you need any explanations or have questions, just leave 'em in your review and your email address and I'll be happy to reply...this was kind of aconfusing ficlet. 


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